Arsenal hero ‘happy’ to join Spurs, claims ex-boss

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has revealed Arsenal favourite Santi Cazorla considered a move to Spurs before joining the club, reports the Metro.

The silky Spanish wizard is a fans favourite at the Emirates, having arrived from La Liga side Malaga in 2012.

However, Redknapp has revealed things could have played out very differently, with the midfield maestro apparently keen on a switch to White Hart Lane under the former Southampton, Portsmouth and QPR manager.

‘Santi wanted to come,’ he stated, ‘he was happy to join Spurs but there was a breakdown in talks over the fee.’

He instead moved to the Gunners, where he has won two FA Cups consecutively, and rubs shoulders with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey.

Redknapp had been impressed with the pint sized magician after a pre-season friendly with his old employers Villarreal.

‘He was fantastic against us for Villarreal’, expressed the 68-year old – before adding ‘the deal was almost done but it got lost somewhere in the negotiations between Tottenham and Villarreal.’

‘He ended up being the one who got away.’

The Spaniard has made 113 Premier League appearances since joining Arsenal, netting 23 times. He is currently in the Spain squad ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifiers with Luxembourg and Ukraine.